Separating Students Based on Academic Skill Level

Khalid Sarsak 22 October 2012 Separating Students Based on Academic Skill Level Separating students based on academic skill level is a topic discussed by many people. I believe that junior high and high school students with special needs, as well as all other students, should be separated based on academic skill level because every person is different. All humans are unique which is what defines each person as their own being. Not separating students, in my opinion, can have negative results. First, advanced students get held back because teachers must go slower for the students that take more time to learn certain lessons.They begin to get bored and tend to dose off because the material the teacher is going over is too easy for them. For example, when I was in my math class in 7th grade, I would always understand the lessons quickly. Math came easy to me so whenever the teacher was in the middle of a lesson, I would talk to my friends and distract them or I would draw goofy pictures . I wouldn’t take class seriously and sometimes I felt like I should just not come to class. A second reason students should be separated based on academic skill level is because students that need help can get it.Some students that aren’t as academically gifted as others might get disappointed because they are not doing so well in a certain class. They might get stressed too much which can lead to depression and anxiety. If they are separated it would be easier for them to get individual help. Also they will be with students at their same skill level so the class will run more smoothly, they can help each other out, and they will feel more comfortable in class. These issues can be fixed by having all students take an assessment test to evaluate what level each person is in each class.If this would have happened when I was in my 7th grade math class it would have helped me a lot because I would have been ahead in my math classes. Being ahead in my math classes would ha ve helped me because I am currently majoring in computer engineering which needs many math classes. Another reason why students should be separated based on academic skill level is because students that need help or are struggling with a topic might get singled out and made fun of. Their peers might make them feel embarrassed and sometimes insecure to the point where they never ask for help.Some kids are also very shy so they will have a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the class because they won’t ask for help. Similarly, David Raymond, a young dyslexic man, was made fun of and embarrassed in school. In his essay â€Å"On Being 17, Bright, and Unable to Read,† he talks about the hardships of dyslexia that he faced in school. He says â€Å"I just felt dumb. And dumb was how the kids treated me. They’d make fun of me every chance they got, asking me to spell â€Å"cat† or something like that† (197). He shows us how being in a class that he had trouble with caused his peers to single him out which made him feel like he was not smart.He also says in his essay that he wanted to die (197). Anyone that feels like they want to die because of kids making fun of them is never good. However, Raymond attended a summer camp for kids that had dyslexia. He found out that he actually is a smart kid. All the kids at the camp had the same problems that he had so he felt better about himself. He begins to do well in school. In his essay, he says â€Å"Life began to change a little for me then, because I began to feel better about myself [†¦] making vases and pots that teachers said were pretty good† (Raymond 198).Separating David Raymond by putting him with other kids with the same problem helped him cope with his learning disability. He learned new hobbies and other activities that he succeeded with. It also helped him by showing him that he is an intelligent kid because he had a higher IQ than 90% of the camp (198). On the other hand, some people believe that separating kids based on academic skill level may cause some negative things. For example, in his essay â€Å"Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel,† Michael Kaufman discussed how being separated based on academic skill level caused him to become prejudiced towards his friend Hector.Michael Kaufman and Hector were two kids that became neighbors and friends at a young age and grew up together in school. Kaufman was placed in a higher class than Hector, which Kaufman believes, caused him to become arrogant and prejudiced towards Hector in their adult years (148-149). However, there are other ways to stop labeling and prejudices without completely stopping the separation of students by their academic skill levels. For example, schools can have teachers talk about stereotypes, labeling, and prejudices to show how it can negatively affect other kids.This can teach students that labeling kids a hurtful name can cause them to distance them selves from people and become depressed. Also schools can try to teach students about a variety of different people and their cultures so they have a better understanding of their peers. All in all, this world has millions of different people that think differently and have different levels of intelligence. There are many jobs and careers that are different from each other and take different skills to do.Separating students based on academic skill level will not only make a more organized schooling system, but it will also help the students learn at their own pace and set the sights toward their future careers. Works Cited Kaufman, Michael T. â€Å"Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel. † Models for Writers. Eds. Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2010. 146-149. Print. Raymond, David. â€Å"On Being 17, Bright, and Unable to Read. † Models for Writers. Eds. Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2010. 196-199. Print.

Compare Two Theories of First/Second Language Acquisition

A3 Compare two theories of first/second language acquisition. The process by which humans acquire the capacity to distinguish properly as well as produce and use words to understand and communicate with others is known as first language acquisition. It focuses mainly on how infants pick up their native language, including syntax and some extensive vocabulary items, having so little input. We can distinguish many theoretical approaches towards the first language learning process.Behaviourists, for instance, whose main motto is ‘Say what I say’ claim that learning of the language is the result of habit formation, imitation practice and feedback on success. Children naturally imitate what they hear in their environment, then if they receive positive reinforcement, they are able to form ‘habits’ of proper language use. On the other hand, a linguist Noam Chomsky holds that language development may be compared to the most basic biological functions such as an abil ity to walk as â€Å"every child will learn to walk as long as adequate nourishment and reasonable freedom of movement are provided† (Lightbown and Spada 1999:15).Both theories emphasize the importance of the environment which plays a crucial role when stimulating child’s language development. Hence, in order to pick up the language in a proper way the child must be exposed to the language given. However, contradictory to the behaviourist theory, Chomsky claims that the language is, to some degree, confusing and the provided information is not sufficient for a child to learn the language only by imitating particular words and phrases.That is to say, the environment fails to provide all necessary information which the child needs. To sum up, the greatest difference between behaviourism and innatism is the opinion about child’s mind. Behaviourists claim that child should be, in some way, programmed by the environment, meaning child’s mind is a blank slate t hat has to be filled. However, Chomsky is of the opinion that every child comes to this world with a special ability to discover all language rules by itself. Bibliography: Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. 1999. How Languages are Learned. Oxford: OUP.

A Mountain Run

From the perspective of many practical figures, at the top of the mountain: 1407 feet above sea level, 5 miles on the trail (4 kilometers), on a steep road, the 4 foot steps are shorter and at 2 months (400 miles) summer training ) GT-2020 ASICS running shoes weighed 110 pounds; Digital triathlon Timex, 8 laps memory, 18 minutes 17 seconds, 3 hours ago, 420 calories of breakfast (cereal bowl, half a) bagels and bananas ); Adding free fatty acids in the blood to energy using muscle cells stored in glycogen from this food; chemical process of releasing oxygen from oxygen-requiring muscle Baej and I want to go to Szyndzielnia Mountain (1020 m) to celebrate the most happy season of the year, spring and to do our first mountain run. For PR you need to assume that there is no rest, if you want to hear the real version of all those simple, we are almost there! Please come, you need to listen to the entire story (and all subsequent stories - the beginning of the season!) By drinking coffee o r Lit Beer (actually the runner should not do this). By default it is lazy. Of course I stand up and run to the mountains, but when it becomes difficult, I will be late. It was the best time with my wife when I ran on a local hill. Looking, she is a runner and walking around for a long time. When it's very steep, I am very fast, but when it's just a steep rolling she makes it faster. In the last part of the run she let me keep working so hard that under the push I reduced my running time by 20 minutes. This is 20 minutes longer than 10 kilometers. For those who do not run, this is a big advantage. I could not regain profit When I say mountain, I mean Rocky Point Rock. This is real mountain of Baby Mountain. But for me, it was a mountain early in 2013. I began to participate in running and it's time to start falling in love with hiking. But mountain? This is still a concept of outpatience for me. The top of the rock of the Great Sugar Loaf is so steep that I need to raise myself to m y last point with my own hands. It was fun to remember and it was scary then. The mountain is still new to me and I was still afraid of everything. But from the top it is worth it. On February 6, 2004, Lumarck was in the mountain in spite of the next storm. As the sun faded, Lumarck took the unknown path of Mammoth Mountain. When he reached a flat part he began to walk in the direction he thought would return him safely. It's not. He is in doubt. LeMarque is doing its best to survive. He eats bark and pine needles. He drank his urine. He ate some of his meat and fell from frost. He digged the trench in the snow and tried to avoid the element. Although there are unnecessary layers, he is jerky and uncomfortable, but he crammed the leaves into his clothes. He abandoned the rest and used a plastic bag as a container to dissolve snow in consumable water.

Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Toyota - Essay Example Toyota’s local assembly is being anticipated to surpass the current 60% mark. This lessened contact with transaction rates and importation tariffs. Within Toyota, sales augments from Europe were required to meet set global sales targets (Arthur, p.26). The year 2000 witnessed a massive growth in the car production industry. The number of cars produced that year increased from 30 million automobiles to approximately 60 million cars. From this entire production, more than half of the cars were produced by Toyota. However, for the European advertising panel of Toyotas mini cars, the confrontation persisted. In a fiercely competitive bazaar, they had to get 100,000 buyers yearly for the 3.41-meter. This section was viewed as a hard market where low prices implied low margins. Mercedes-Benz's firm recorded losses of 4 billion pounds between 2000 and 2005. Toyota Motor Firm recorded sales of 7.97 million units in 2005 which is an increase of about 2.5 million since 2000. Toyota Comp any in North America maintained as the most significant global bazaar. Market share was mounting swiftly. In 2005, sales rose to 2 million piece echelon for the first time. Toyota Company held 13.7 percent of the vital U.S. bazaar up from 9.3 percent in 2000. Sixty percent of the American order was contented by installing twelve firms in the NAFTA area. In 2006, Toyota was predicted to rise to 9 million pieces in production. At the moment, Toyota is in trouble as it is undergoing depression which is worldwide, and it is actually in much better look than virtually every other auto manufacturer. When we talk of competition, things are much poorer. Particularly talk of General Motors, which saw a catastrophic fall in sales of 54% in February, the issue is becoming increasingly worse. The full impact of the Global Economic Crisis is impacting all the magnificent plans and decisions of the world’s car makers, in the process cutting them to pieces. Of late, the CEOs of Fiat and Ren ault-Nissan claimed that the automobile markets would go through constant declines in 2009. The Big Three,† Chrysler, GM and Ford of Americas automobile home giants have been pushed with catastrophic sales falling thus causing them to beg the government for bailouts. Virtually nearly in every market the global economic catastrophe is destroying demand for cars. A sure indicator of how calamitous the circumstances are for the global car industry is the performance of Toyota, which is without a doubt on the planet it is the healthiest and most prestigious car manufacture. It not being an exceptional as mentioned it has now joined Detroit and European car makers in soliciting a bailout from their governments. Toyota has officially requested the Japanese government to provide a â€Å"bridge loan† of $2.2 billion; this request has followed some prior sales figures which have indicated that the Japanese behemoth faced a decline of 40% in sales of automobiles in its largest ma rket, the United States of America. Some years before, the company was capable of exploiting a more poignant position around green matters. The Prius hybrid model, for example, brought fame to the Toyota firm. In 2005, it traded around 18,000 pieces of Prius in Europe. On global sales, it sold 180,000 pieces, and in 2010, it was expecting to sell 1,000,000 pieces universally. Hybrid expertise offered Toyota a fair chance to place itself as a

The processing of applications at the VEC Assignment

The processing of applications at the VEC - Assignment Example The number of people involved in processing an application CT ? Processing period (35?5.71=6). Each application is processed by 6 people. 4. Throughput efficiency = Work content * 100 ------------------- Throughput time Therefore, throughput efficiency is 200?35?100= 571,2 % b) The problem with the process is that it takes a long period to process the application forms. The VEC is comprised of three ‘checkers’ with three support staff, a pool of twelve clerks who are responsible for data entry/filing and ten auditors (who prepare and issue the grant approval documentation. From these figures, it can be seen that the number of checkers is small since they may not be able to cope with the pressure in processing the number of the forms received. The number of checkers should be increased so as to make sure that the processing time for the forms is speeded up. The other problem is that all the applications that arrive at the VEC are placed in an in-tray. One of the eight cle rks opens the applications that are then put in an in-tray pending collection by the coding staff. The coding clerks are only two and this may be difficult for them to cope with the large number of files that may need to be processed at a given period. These applications are only processed further when a checker becomes available. This is where the major problem lies. If the checker is not available, then it means that there is no work being done. As noted, in each section, the clerical, coding, checkers, secretarial and auditors have incoming work but at one stage, the applications are not promptly dealt with. In some instances, they can only be checked if the checkers become available. The other issue that affects the processing is that only files from the bottom are processed first. This may result in some files staying for a long period in the trays since they are just placed there without proper order. Once the file has been placed in the incoming tray, it should be processed p romptly and moved to the next stage rather than keeping it in the tray. c) In order to improve the process, it is essential to make sure that each department is staffed with an equal number of people to process the applications. For instance, the number of clerks should be equivalent to the number of coding staff. This is meant to ensure that pressure does not mount on an individual person responsible for checking or vetting the forms to make sure that there are no mistakes. It is also important for the processors of the applications to adopt a line strategy where the forms move from one point to the next point along the processing line. Once the form has been checked, it should move up to the net person for further processing and verification. The form should not be put back in the incoming tray since this cause a mix up in the processed and unprocessed forms. Effort should be put in order to ensure that each processed form from the bottom line moves to the top in their chronologic al order. This helps the staff members to make sure that there is no duplication of duties where the processed form is put back in the incoming tray. Once all the forms have been verified, they should be passed to the auditors who will make sure that all the information on the forms is correct. These forms will then need to be passed to the dispatchers who will do the final verification of the forms. In order to ensure that the process flows smoothly, there must be additional staff members responsible for handling complaints only. This is meant to ensure that all the queries are dealt with by the right person. If the tasks are clearly spelled such that each person is aware of his or her duties, it becomes easy to eliminate all the impediments that can slow the process. In this case, the linear strategy of processing the

Compensation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compensation - Essay Example These wages are augmented by bonuses that are commensurate with the contributions the employee makes to specific projects or even their own entrepreneurial developments (â€Å"Facebook beats google†, 2012). The best fit and best practice approaches constitute different perspectives. The best fit approaches argues that compensation pay should be aligned with the organization’s strategy and values. The challenge these becomes finding the ‘best-fit’ between the strategic approach and compensation. These practices are contrasted with ‘best practice’ approach that argue there need not be a best fit between strategy and approach, but instead a universal approach to compensation in the organization. A customer service-agent that manages issues that arise between buyers and sellers at the online marketplace Half.com. These management practices occur over the telephone and through e-mail. Notably, there are over 2,000 emails a day to sort through. It is indicated that this information does not become tedious as the emails are of constantly different varieties. In terms of further information needed, it is necessary to consider what occurs when the issue cannot be resolved, as well as the extent that the employee is under pressure from Half.com to determine a best fit solution. 5. The compensable factors in paying my boss more than me are that he has a higher knowledge set and deeper managerial experience. This increases his organizational value as he is able to oversee crucial aspects or operational difficulties. This is further understood in terms of organizational contributions. While it is possible for the lower tier workers to make tangible contributions to organizational value, compensation is on a best fit spectrum so that the higher the individual is on organizational spectrum, the higher their value is the organization. This results in the higher compensation

Employee relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employee relation - Essay Example A smaller survey done in the UK found 27 per cent HR professionals following the practice and a discrepancy in the popularity of the practice between media and finance industries, and retailers and charities (Peacock 2008). No legislation restrains HRM from considering the applicants’ information displayed on their Facebook profiles in order to reach recruitment decisions. Use of social networks for recruitment decisions poses certain issues. Firstly, there is concern over privacy of the candidates and establishment of limits on the employers’ interest in the job applicants’ private lives. Such vetting processes can be interpreted as invasion in the privacy of the job applicants (Peacock 2008) given job applicants do not scrutinize their posts and shared material on social media with an intention of having them reviewed by the prospective employers. Secondly, use of social media to reach recruitment decisions makes the employers vulnerable to the charges of discrimination (Lynas 2007) as the rejected employees might feel that they have been rejected because the employer did not approve of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or political views. This imparts a need for the employers to act responsibly and self-regulate in order to comply with the employment legislation. Retrieving information from job applicants’ Facebook profiles to reach recruitment decisions has negative connotations on employer-employee relationship. Employees are often unaware that employers are checking their social networking profiles as part of the screening process. Employers do so in order to find traces or evidence for what to them is inappropriate social behavior in the job applicants’ Facebook profiles. Laws guarding people against discrimination on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, and other variables commence at the recruitment stage. An

Argentine Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Argentine Americans - Essay Example According to the census statistics conducted in the year 1991, the population of Argentina was approximately 32 million which equals to 12 percent of the total population of South America. This figure makes Argentina the third most populated country of the Continent, the first two being Columbia and Brazil. Out of the total population of Argentina, 90 percent populations are Roman Catholics. The remaining percentage comprises of Protestants Jews and they live in Buenos Aires. Argentina is both an ethnic and diverse country. Most of the population who stay in that country comprise of immigrants from Italy and Spain (Rodriguez). "In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, other ethnic groups, including Germans, Poles, Welsh, Irish, Lebanese, Hungarians, Czechs, Danish, French, Jews, Japanese, Koreans, and Swiss also chose Argentina for settlement (Rodriguez)." The country Argentina is divided into four geographical sections. The Andes Mountain is considered as the northwestern border of the country. To the east of the Andes Mountains, lies a high plateau region which is an area that is large and grassy. "This grassy area is drained by the Ro Paraguay and Ro Paran, which themselves drain into the bay like Ro de la Plata (River of Silver), the widest river on earth (Rodriguez)." During the sixteenth century, approximately 3 lakh Ameri... There are almost ten distinct groups who have got different lifestyles. For example, the fertile river valleys were farmed by a tribal group called Guaran. Another tribal group named Onas who lived in the southern part of the country used to hunt animals like ostriches and seals. To the north of the country lived the Araucanians and they were away from the wild animals that were in the area. "Other tribes populating the area included the Incas in the northwest, the Charras in the east, and the Quechuas, Tehuelches, and Huarpes in the central and western regions. The Pampas inhabited the plains of the same name (Rodriguez)." Immigration Waves: If the history of Argentina is observed carefully, it can be noticed that the country can be characterized as a country familiar for its immigration. But many environmental forces like economic factors, political imbalances and social unsteadiness have altered Argentina into not only a country of immigration but also as a country of travel and emigration (Jachimowicz). Before the period of 1970s, the government of United States classified the immigrants in Argentina into a category named "Other Hispanics". However, the immigrants were considered as a relatively new group. Ever since the late 1990s a number of factors such as dismal employment prospects, strong demand for foreign labor and finally favorable policies for getting visas have led a number of Argentineans to migrate to the United States of America. "An estimated 185,000 Argentines emigrated between 1960 and 1970, and the number climbed to an estimated 200,000 in the decade that followed. Primary destination for these immi grants was the United States (Jachimowicz)." Over 60 percent of these Argentine immigrants are believed to have

Multicultural Field Experience Observation Reflection Report Personal Statement

Multicultural Field Experience Observation Reflection Report - Personal Statement Example The room also had a kitchen area which had equipment like; a vending machine, a refrigerator, a microwave, a sink, a countertop and a cabinet storage. The room had a playful feel to it through the different games on the site which the children engaged in. Utensils used by the children got washed in the sink, left to dry on the countertop and stored away safely in the cabinet. The vending machine was for soda beverages. The room was painted colorfully with an attractive color shade of yellow, blue and red. The colors provided the room with an exciting and welcoming feel which the children could associate with. Diversity The clientele at the YMCA was richly diverse in terms of religion, race and socioeconomic status. Their clientele got made up of black, white, Hispanic and Asian race. The socioeconomic gap was also wide, ranging from subsistent income to wealthy professionals. From my personal relations with some of the clientele, they ranged from dentists, doctors, business owners, t eachers to students. From the supervisor, it became clear to me that they had no clue what religious backgrounds their clientele got comprised of. They did not care or mind what religious affiliation they belonged to. The immense differences in race, religion, and socioeconomic backgrounds proved the sheer diversity present at the YMCA. Age level of students I observed children aged 5-12 years. This age group became mainly made up of elementary school going children comprising of both boys and girls. It provided the base for the majority of my observation group focus. The children were present in the observation room most of the time. Number of students The number of students I observed differed tremendously since I did not conduct the observation at once. I divided the number of hours of observation to two different days which were a Monday and two different Fridays. I conducted both these observation hours in the month of February. I observed the children on a Monday from 4:30 to7 :00pm. On the two Fridays, I observed them from 4:30 to 8:00pm. Time division during my observation hours led to the number of students, their gender, ages, and ethnicity substantially differing. This was so because I did not conduct the observation at one time. The children’s parents dropped off their kids in the room while they went to work out in the YMCA health facility. This proved another obstacle in determining the number of children in the room since the parents arrived at different hours. Population description The number of children I worked with at any time ranged from 5 to 16 children. During the observation, I would work with a minimum of 5 children at the center although the number could rise to 16 children depending on the time. The age group of the children ranged from 5-12 years although most of the children fell between 5 to 9 years. The children were of diverse racial backgrounds from blacks, whites, Hispanic and Asian origin. The children’s gender g ot comprised of both boys and girls. Gender was another example of diversification among the students. The girls outnumbered the boys by approximately 15% through my observation. Simply put, for every 1 boy among children aged between 5-9 years, there were 3 girls. The socioeconomic characteristics of the children ranged and varied significantly. I was able to conclude their socioeconomic backgrounds based on tactically questioning of adults working within the program and through my keen

Smoking cessation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Smoking cessation - Essay Example Evidence Based Practice is essential to the medical practitioners that deal with the smokers since it is from the information gathered from the evidence based practice that nurses are able to ensure quality service delivery in the smoking and smoking cessation services. However, the nursing knowledge and clinical skills must be incorporated just as much as the appropriate evidence and integrate them with an understanding of the patient’s needs i.e. how to handle patients with smoking-related illnesses (Julia 2014). Remarkably, a partial frame of suggestions on the efficiency of intercessions to moderate the amount of deaths due to smoking in underprivileged regions via exploiting practical circumstances, preservation and provision of services; however, some mediation initiatives are hopeful but request for additional evaluation and familiarity in the field, from the nurses and medical personnel. In the past, there has been biasness in evidenced based practice in relation to smoking, where some information does not appear in the report such as the socioeconomic data on the smokers making it hard to come up with stable suppositions for all associates (Susan, 2012). Typically, the data is vital in any evidence-based practice as it generally helps the effecting of the smoking termination interpositions that can help decrease the rising rates in death, and smoking as for those communities that have occupied its peak peal. Decisively, the journal describes the key findings form the Smoking Toolkit study relevant to the smoking cessation policy for the past three years (2007 to 2010); the smoking tool kit study focused on surveys conducted monthly of representative samples of the population of England aged 16 years and above (the surveys were conducted every six months). The results shows that only a small number of smokers were familiar to the smoking cessation programs and had had discussions in the past one year and only a quarter of these smokers had gone on to the next step of the program- being offered a prescription or advised to see a stop smoking practitioner.

Teddys Supplies CEO Essay Example for Free

Teddys Supplies CEO Essay Mr. Moore it is in my firm opinion that you settle this case so your company can move on and not be impacted on this matter any longer. I feel the longer this plays out the longer your company could suffer financially and publicly. You need to get in front of this and have the press stopped. In my opinion you are looking at worst case scenario of damages by this case could be exponential. You company still has legal fees for any and all attorneys you are hiring to fight this battle. You are having to pay more in Public Relations to stay in the fore front of press. You are not only going to have to pay out money you could possibly lose money. Since the word is out you could lose contracts, and as well as any customers that may do business with you just base on the perception of the company. You will have to pay unemployment charge backs, as well as your unemployment rates are going to increase. If you will look into Case In the Matter of Reuben Starishevsky, Petitioner, v. Hofstra University et al., Respondents. This shows how a company/ organization can lose the appeal and have to reinstate the employee’s job along with back pay. I suggest you look this over and put a game plan together with your attorney on how to overcome in your case. The circuit court overturned the decision of the NJ Human Rights Commission that had found that Pollard was the victim of sexual harassment and disparate treatment. Please answer these questions: Define sexual harassment, including both quid pro quo and hostile environment harassment. Which type(s) do you feel Pollard was a victim of (if either)? Provide law or a case to support your position. If you feel Pollard was not a victim of  harassment in this case, explain why you feel that way, and provide law or a case to support your position. Name an appellate court case in which an employer was found liable for either quid pro quo or hostile environment sexual harassment. Describe the facts of the case and the decision the court came to in the case. Explain whether you think that case applies to Pollards case (why or why not) and whether you would want to use this case in Teddys favor or whether Pollard may use it in her favor. Include the citation to the case and a link to it online. Do you agree that Pollard was disparately treated? Why or why not? In your answer, define disparate treatment. Does the existence of a sexual harassment policy pro vide a defense to Teddys in this case? Why or why not? (Include the name and citation of at least two federal or state sexual harassment cases that provide precedent support to your defense statement.) Quid pro quo harassment typically occurs when a supervisor makes a request for a sexual favor in return for giving an employee an employment-related benefit: a raise, a promotion or a positive job review, for instance. Quid pro quo harassment can consist of a single or numerous sexual advances or demands. Quid pro quo harassment typically occurs when a supervisor makes a request for a sexual favor in return for giving an employee an employment-related benefit: a raise, a promotion or a positive job review, for instance. It may involve a direct or implied threat of retaliation if the employee does not agree to the request. This case should not fall under either case. I do not feel that this is a quid pro quo case due to the fact that there was not a manager involved in the harassment. As well that I do not think that the hostile work environment should hold, due to the fact that this is a reoccurring event with this staff and that she was involved in many acts and not that she had cla imed a case on. In the case of GEORGETTA KINNISON, Plaintiff-Appellant vs. ADVANCE STORES COMPANY, INC., et al., Defendants-Appellees. Facts of the case are that Georgetta filed a complaint against Advanced Auto Parts, and Russell Pitts the store manager alleged that she was offered a job at the store. She compiled all the paperwork to commence her employment. Part of her training she had to come to the store in the morning so she would be familiar to the opening procedures. Once she arrived there the Manager wanted her to engage in other acts of sexual Nature. She then refused and stated she was just wanted to work at Advanced  Auto. Advanced Auto was trying to say that since she did not have hours, she was not technically an employee of the company. The individual who is denied a job because he or she declined to submit to the sexual demands of the potential employer also has standing to bring a claim on a theory of quid pro quo harassment, however, because the denial of employment is an employment decision affecting the individual. See Ohio Admin Code 4112-5-05(J)(7) [**8] 1 . Because of this, status as an employee at the time the sexual demands are made is not necessarily a prerequisite to maintaining a cause of action for gender discrimination on the basis of quid pro quo ha rassment. 2003-Ohio-3387; 2003 Ohio App. LEXIS 3055; 92 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 314. Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic. I think this is case could apply as a defense and they can use it showing that the employee was not sexual harassed quid pro quo. In disparate treatment the employee must show that he or she was treated differently than other employees who dont share the same protected characteristic. Similarly situated the comparable employees were and whether the employer’s decision was made because of the employee’s protected characteristic or for other reasons. I do feel that she was treated differently since she was a female, but I do not think that she opposed this treatment and was having just as much fun as everyone else was. I do not think that she has a case. I feel that if she ultimately felt that they was wrong doing she would have filed a complaint with her supervisor or even filled out the online form when she first encountered the first act. Having a policy does not guarantee that an employer is free from liability i f a harassment case is brought against the company. In Gorzynski v. JetBlue Airways Corp. the Court ruled that that whether a plaintiff’s complaints to the harasser constitute reasonable availment of an employer’s sexual harassment policy is to be determined by the specific facts and circumstances of each case, regardless of there being a policy in place. Review the sexual harassment policy that Teddys has in place and that Virginia Pollard signed. Virginia Pollard claims she had planned to make an anonymous complaint but the website allowing that was down on the day she tried to do so. During the Human Rights Commission case, a review of the website statistics shows that Virginia accessed the website for downloading dental coverage forms at least three times during the time frame of the  alleged discrimination. The commission determined that this ability of Teddys to track employees use of the site was a violation of their anonymity and therefore refused to consider this information. The circuit court did consider thi s in their decision. Provide three recommendations to the CEO for a way to ensure that employees in the future cannot claim technical issues for why they didnt make a complaint. Explain, in your recommendations, the legal consequences to an employee if they do not utilize the complaint mechanism of the sexual harassment policy. Support these recommendations with current case law. In reviewing the policy in place and the chain of commands to which to file a complaint. I can see where there could be some changes. Three recommendations that the company could put into place would be to ensure there is a tracking protocol and log kept of any and all downtime that has occurred with the website, that my hinder people accessing the site. Have another way to file a complaint such as a hotline the employees could call in whether there is a site outage or that an employee may not have internet access. Make sure this is training and a program put into place so the employees both female and male both feel comfortable to file a claim. Make sure they know that in the event they fail to file the correct paperwork or fail to notify a supervisor or upper-management of such event that they forfeit their right to sue the company. Two cases that show this type of implementation is MELODY G. COBB, APPELLANT v. COMMUNITY ACTION COUNCIL FOR LEXINGTON-FAYETTE, BOURBON, HARRISON, AND NICHOLAS COUNTIES, INC. AND WILLIAM F. HINTON, APPELLEES and EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. THE FINISH LINE, INC., Defendant. These supervisors did not promote a hostile environment, but have the authority to hire, fire, and discipline the employees as deemed necessary. How would Pollards case be impacted if her replacement had been a female? Would her case be different? Would her damages be different? Explain your answer. I do not think that would change anything in the case. I feel that she would have filed the same suit and the company would be in the same standing even if they hired another female to replace her. I think she is just upset that someone filed a complaint against her and now she is trying to retaliate and say that she was the victim in the situation. If she really felt as though she was a victim she would have initially filed a complaint or told a supervisor. She already had a history of not following  the rules of the company by making personal phone calls while at work.

Genetic engineering - Maize Essay Example for Free

Genetic engineering Maize Essay Introduction Genetically modified, by definition, is a term denoting or derived from an organism whose DNA has been altered for the purpose of improvement or correction of defects. (dictionary. com) Genetically modified foods are foods that have been altered to enhance certain traits for the purpose of making them more desirable to consumers. Since the development of this process, modified foods have become more common throughout the years, and with their increase in production there has also been great controversy. History of Genetically Modified Foods In 1994, the first genetically modified food the Food and Drug Administration deemed safe enough for human consumption was a tomato called the â€Å"Flavr Savr,† produced in California. The purpose of altering the tomato was for it to be resistant to rotting and decaying as quickly as tomatoes usually do. They were not labeled as being genetically modified and they were between two and five time more expensive than ordinary tomatoes, but consumers still purchased them. However, due to competition, brought on by a tomato made conventionally and with a longer shelf life, the Flavr Savr tomatoes were not profitable. Genetically modified tomatoes were then made into a tomato puree and sold in Europe in the mid-1990s, but a couple years later controversy arose over the concept of genetically modifying food. In 1998, a doctor from Aberdeen, in Scotland, published results from a research study he conducted suggesting that genetically modified potatoes, injected with an insecticide gene from the snowdrop plant, were toxic to rats. A year later it was announced that beginning in 1999, there were to be trials of genetically modified crops engineered to be resistant to herbicides. The purpose of the trials was to uncover the effects of these crops on farmland wildlife. However, this was criticized to be potentially dangerous to nearby crops, as well as honey that could be affected by cross-pollination. Sure enough, later that year pollen from genetically modified oilseed rape, a plant that is used to produce canola oil, was found at beehives almost three miles away. Two out of nine samples of honey being sold in supermarkets were contaminated in May 2000. At this point in time, nine out of ten people were against the idea of genetically modifying foods. (dailymail. co. uk) Despite the controversy surrounding genetically modified plants and foods in earlier years, technologies have advanced, and in 2006, 10. 3 million farmers planted 252 million acres of transgenic crops in 22 countries. The United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, China, Paraguay, and South Africa grew 97% of these crops. Soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and alfalfa were modified to be herbicide and insect resistant, whereas other crops, like sweet potatoes for instance were modified to be able to survive harsh weather conditions. (Ornl. gov) The process of genetic modification Genetically modifying foods changes their genetic makeup in some way. The purpose of doing this is to enhance certain aspects of the food, for example, increasing its resistance to herbicides or its nutritional value. Traditionally, this has been done by way of selectively breeding plants or animals for specific genetic traits, however this method has proven to be potentially inaccurate and very time consuming. Genetic modification on the other hand can physically isolate a particular gene and insert it into another substance, enabling it to then posses that quality. This is done very quickly and accurately. Plants can be made insect resistant, virus resistant, or more tolerant to herbicides. Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacterium that produces a gene for toxin production that is safe for human production. To achieve insect resistance, the gene is injected into the crops that will then be able to produce this toxin on their own, leading to a decreased need for insecticides. To achieve virus resistance, crops must be introduced to the gene from that particular disease-causing virus. This results in less susceptibility to the disease and higher crop yields. Similarly, to achieve herbicide tolerance, a gene from a bacterium that will transmit resistance to some herbicides must be injected into the crops, in turn reducing the amount of herbicides used. Purpose of genetically modifying foods. There are many reasons for producing and selling genetically modified foods over those that are traditionally produced. Originally, the intent was increased protection of crops. This is still one of the process’ objectives, however there are many additional benefits recognized today. Both consumers and producers who feel that genetically modified foods are advantageous believe that these foods can be cheaper, more durable, and more nutritional. Genetically modifying foods is also a way to ensure that with a world population that is predicted to double in the future, a food shortage will not be encountered. In addition to increased protection from diseases, pests and herbicides, there are other key reasons for genetic modification. Many crops are destroyed due to troubling weather conditions. Frost can come at unexpected times causing destruction to sensitive crops. Cold water fish have an antifreeze gene which, when introduced to plants like tobacco and potatoes, can lead to a higher tolerance to cold temperatures. Similarly, plants can also develop the ability to withstand droughts. A very important quality of food is the nutritional value that is possesses. Malnutrition is quite prevalent, especially in third world countries where people tend to rely on only one crop to fulfill their dietary needs. If however, these crops could be genetically modified to contain the amount of vitamins and nutrients necessary to sustain a healthy diet, it would be a great advantage. For example, in third world countries blindness caused by a vitamin A deficiency is very common, so researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have developed what they call, â€Å"golden† rice, which contains uniquely high levels of vitamin A. The hope in this development is that this rice, funded by the non-profit organization Rockefeller Foundation, can be sent to any countries that request it. Vaccinations and medicines can be very difficult to produce, and they can also be very costly. Through genetic modification there is hope that the ability to produce foods with edible vaccinations in them will become a possibility. Common Genetically Modified Foods According to a WebMD article, experts say that about sixty to seventy percent of processed foods sold in the United States contain genetically modified ingredients. Soybeans, , corn, cotton, and rapeseed oil are the most commonly genetically modified foods. In other words, any foods that contain field corn, high-fructose corn syrup, soybeans, cottonseed oil, or canola oil all contain genetically modified ingredients. These ingredients are extremely common in most foods, much more so than most people are aware of. According to a study funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, only 52% of Americans are aware that genetically modified foods are even sold in grocery stores. The United States is the largest producer of corn in the world, and in 2000 it was estimated that 25% of corn crops growing in the United States were genetically modified. Corn is an ingredient in beer, salad dressing, margarine, flour, and anything containing corn syrup. The corn sold in stores is not necessarily intended to be genetically modified, however the concern for cross contamination between crops is there, since corn is wind-pollinated. Soy is the most heavily modified crop, and more than half the soy in the world was made up of genetically modified strains in 2007. There are different reasons for the modification of soy, including an added resistance to insects, and increasing its vitamin or fat and protein content in order to be suitable for animal feed. Soy is also used for creating chemicals used in pharmaceuticals. The likelihood of products in the United States containing genetically modified materials if they contain soy is very high, despite the lack of any labeling stating so. Tofu and soy milk are obviously effected products, however soy is also present in bread, cereal, ice cream and chocolate. Milk can be made from a genetically modified hormone called the recombinant bovine growth hormone. The function of this hormone is to produce more milk by keeping cells to produce milk alive in cows for longer periods of time. There is no proven difference between milk produced with the hormone versus that produced without it, however cows injected with the hormone are more prone to disease which can in turn have negative effects on the milk. Rapeseed oil, or canola oil, is one of the most genetically modified crops used. 80% of canola crops in Western Canada have been genetically modified. It is modified in the area of herbicide resistance. Also, modified rapeseed crops produce the main pollen used in the making of honey, suggesting that most honey from Canada could likely qualify as genetically modified. Advantages of Genetically Modified Foods Genetically modified foods offer several advantages. As already mentioned, an increased resistance to pests and diseases, the tolerance against bad weather conditions, and an increase in food supply are all obviously positive aspects. Crops have a better taste and quality when they are modified and they also have increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance. The time it takes for crops to mature is reduced as well. As far as the advantages for animals, they develop an increased resistance, productivity, and feed efficiency. They also produce more food, and their health can improve. The environment can benefit from genetically modifying foods as well. Firstly, the bioherbicides and bioinsecticides are environmentally friendly. Because genetic modification improves the resistance of plants and reduces their maturation time, soil, water, and energy can also be conserved. There is better natural waste management associated with genetic modification, and food processing is more efficient. Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Foods Despite the advantages of genetically modifying foods, the disadvantages of doing so seem to greatly outweigh the positive aspects of it. The most common criticisms against GM foods are in regards to the environment, health risks, and economic worries. Firstly, there have been several harmful, yet unintended effects on organisms in the environment. Monarch butterfly caterpillars have suffered an increased mortality rate due to the gene injected in corn crops. Though the caterpillars do not consume corn crops, they consume milkweed plants in neighboring fields, where the wind could easily transfer the pollen. There was a study done to test this theory, and the study did in fact support it. Another environmental concern is that the genes used to enhance certain crops will be transferred over to species unintended to contain the gene. For instance, in the case of crops that are introduced to a gene enabling them to develop an increased resistance to herbicides, the gene can potentially spread into the weeds themselves, causing them too to develop a higher herbicide resistance. This could cause problems because the weeds would then become very difficult to combat which could possibly ruin the crops. The concern for human health risks in regards to genetically modified foods is very high as well. Firstly, food allergies are very common among people in Europe and the United States, and in some cases these allergies can be fatal. The possibility that adding genes to plants could cause allergic reactions in susceptible people is there, and it is a very threatening possibility. Secondly, genetically modified foods pose an unknown overall threat to human health. Despite the lack of proof that foods made of genetically modified materials can be harmful to people, there have been studies showing that certain GM foods are in fact harmful to the digestive tract of rats. Just the fact that the effects of GM food on people are still not completely known also poses a huge threat in itself. From an economic perspective, genetically modifying foods is very costly. With new technologies that are continuously surfacing, companies are starting to want to patent their ideas, and this raises the concern that with patents will come a raise in price of seeds, making business very difficult for farmers who will not be able to afford them. This would result in the domination of food production throughout the world by only a few companies if GM foods reached such a high existence. It would also increase the dependence of developing countries on industrialized nations. Lastly, it could also result in biopiracy, or foreign exploitation of natural resources. There are ethical issues surrounding genetic modification as well. Many people question if it is unethical to alter nature by taking the genes of one species and mixing it with another. There is also the question of whether or not it is ethically wrong to violate the essential values of organisms. This process can stress animals as well, as their natural ways of life and food production are being compromised in ways that are having essentially unknown effects on the animal. The ethicality of labeling foods as genetically modified is a very controversial issue. In the United States, labeling foods is not mandatory and to the many people who do not want to consume these foods, this is viewed as very unethical. Laws of Genetically Modified Foods The laws and governmental regulations of genetically modifying food varies throughout the world, yet a common factor is that all of these different governments are in fact working towards establishing regulatory processes. In Japan, as of April 2001, testing GM foods was made mandatory. In the United States, regulation is achieved by several different governmental agencies, such as the US Environmental Protection. Agency, the US Department of Agriculture, and the US Food and Drug Administration. The EPA is responsible for regulating the substances used that may cause possible harm to the environment and human health, pesticides for example. Farmers need to obtain licenses in order to use such chemicals, and the amount they are permitted ot use is regulated. The USDA includes different divisions each responsible for their own branch of assessment. â€Å" Among these divisions are APHIS, the Animal Health and Plant Inspection Service, which conducts field tests and issues permits to grow GM crops, the Agricultural Research Service which performs in-house GM food research, and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service which oversees the USDA risk assessment program. † (Csa. com) The FDA is involved when companies producing GM foods have issues they feel they want to consult with them about. They are not required to go to the FDA though. The future of Genetically Modified Foods Currently, genetically modified ingredients are present in many foods, however the process is mostly limited to altering the ingredients in the area of improved sustainability. In the future, there are plans to genetically modify much more. For example, there are plans to try to produce foods with the ability to produce human vaccinations. There are also plans to genetically alter food animals, like pigs, cows, and most recently salmon. Conclusion Genetically modified foods have come a long way since their first introduction into the market. They have great potential to solve many problems and improve upon many conditions. However, there are many challenges facing governments as far as the advancement of genetically modified foods is concerned. Regulations, food testing, and uncovering more of the possible effects on both human health and the environment are all great issues involved. The concept of genetic modification is also very controversial. However, regardless of the obstacles and controversy surrounding this phenomenon, it is becoming much more widespread throughout the world. Works Cited Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? CSA. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. http://www. csa. com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview. php . Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms HGP Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. http://www. ornl. gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi /gmfood. shtml. Development and History of GM Foods Genetically Modified Foods (UK). Comphrensive Advice on Genetically Modified Foods at Genetically Modified Foods (UK). Web. 24 Oct. 2010. http://www. geneticallymodifiedfoods. co. uk/development-hi story-gm-foods. html. Chapman, By James. History of Genetically Modified Food | Mail Online. Home | Mail Online. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-419985/History-ge netically-modified-food. html. Jibrin, By Janis. Genetically Modified Foods (Biotech Foods) Pros and Cons. WebMD Better Information. Better Health. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. http://www. webmd. com/food-recipes/features/are-biotech-foods-s afe-to-eat. dictionary. com.

Impact of Performance Appraisal System on Employee

Impact of Performance Appraisal System on Employee Research Background The proposal for this research is regarding investigating the impact of existing performance appraisal on the development of employees system in LT. Every company follows a method of performance evaluation. Performance appraisal process and evaluation is conducted with an aim to understand the level to which the employees of the company have achieved their targets. Performance appraisal is a periodical process whereby the supervisor observes his subordinate and reports his conclusions regarding the performance level at the end of each period. The superiors retrospect and make it a point that the employees are evaluated suitably. There are various kinds of performance appraisal method. Companies follow various kinds of appraisal methods like 360 degree feedback system, MBO, BARS, Critical incidence methods etc. Performance appraisal in every sense caters to the companys competitive advantage. The performance evaluation system helps the company retain its efficient employees; help the company to find out the areas were training needs to be provided; the company can also ensure that a common value system if followed. Thus aiding in complete development of the employees. Performance evaluation process will help the employees do an evaluation of themselves and work for improvements if any. This will ultimately lead to the development of the organization (Bratton and Gold, 1994).Thus every company tries to investigate the level to which its employees have achieved their targets and if not what are the measures to be taken for their performance improvement. LT follows the MBO model of performance appraisal in the company. MBO means management by objectives, in this kind of an appraisal process the superior and employee agree upon certain objectives. These objectives will be based on the overall target of the company. In this kind of an appraisal process the employees know beforehand as to what they need to achieve in the particular period of time. In LT since they follow this method the employees are aware of what is expected of them. In order bring specificity and quality to the process they performed the evaluation process based on SMART, which expands as specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time linked. Larsen Toubro- Company Description LT is one of the largest construction companies in India. ECC is the Engineering Construction and Contracts Division which is a reputed construction division of LT which has to its credit some of the monumental and modern buildings and constructions in India. The company not merely does the construction of buildings but also industrial structures, Flyovers and many more other large-scale construction works in India and abroad. The company carries out various projects that use high end technology and expertise. The company has various divisions around the country i.e. almost 7 offices regionally and nearly 250 work sites. Apart from Construction LT has various other businesses also, like the LT Infotech and insurance. Under ECC division the company has various strategic business units like the transportation infrastructure, Industrial projects and utilities, buildings and factories etc. The company employs a large number of people at managerial and non managerial level. Thus the company needs to have a well defined performance appraisal system. The company thus follows MBO method to evaluate it employees. The company has a well defined Human Resource Policy and system which enables the employees to work efficiently and effectively. Rationale for the research topic The topic Investigating the impact of existing performance appraisal system on employee development of Larsen Toubro, ECC division was chosen with an aim to identify the performance appraisal process followed in one of the largest construction companies in India. The research would help in analyzing the various performance appraisal problems in company like biasing etc. The study will also lead to analyzing the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process in identifying and bringing out the core competencies and role clarity in the employee. The research is meant to finally give recommendations and insights for the betterment of the performance evaluation in the company. Literature Review Armstrong in 2006 proposed that performance appraisal can be considered as an instrument to measure and utilize the technical skills and knowledge of employees in a better way as well as to equip them for facing the future challenges and goals. Performance appraisal can also be regarded as a method to obtain feedback about the performance effectiveness of employees in an organization (SzilagyiWallace 1990). A survey conducted by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) revealed that in the year 2005 almost 65% of organizations conducted annual appraisal for their employees. The companies which conducted appraisal twice a year accounted to 27%. From this it becomes clear that almost all organizations in the world now realize the importance of appraisal system. Employees are considered as valuable assets by present day organizations since the scarcity of skilled labor is high. Companies try all ways to retain their skilled employees and an effective performance appraisal system helps to keep track on the KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) of employees (Amstrong and Baron, 2004). The companies now recognize the fact that only high performing employees could help it to achieve it short-term and long-term objectives (Michlitsch ,2000). Edmonstone in 1996 stated that there exists many purposes for performance appraisal. This may include improving the communication between the superiors and employees with the help of feedback mechanism. This way it helps in building the rapport between the members of organization. Another purpose is that it helps to find out whether the employee lacks any skills and identify areas where he/she needs training. The standards kept for performance by the companies helps to identify those employees who need to be appraised and those who should be demoted. Public and private sector companies follow different methods of appraisal that suits their organization structure. But Boice Kleiner (1997) proposed that all successful appraisal methods have similar characteristics. But its difficult to measure performance in certain organizations and they face the difficulty of implementing an effective performance appraisal method. Marsden in 1999 explained that any appraisal system that cannot constantly measure job performance of employees cannot be regarded as effective. There are several methods of appraisal followed by organizations. The most common methods include 360 degree feedback, Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS), Management by Objectives (MBO), Balanced Score Card etc (Bohlander Snell 1998) The importance of communication in performance appraisal system was explained by OReilly and Anderson, (2006). They said that there should be an open communication between the employee and the superior. More they interact better would be the appraisal system. The manager could explain about the actual performance of employee and the expected performance. The method followed by LT is also based on communication. Appraisal method in LT, Chennai Larsen Toubro has adopted the method of MBO (Management by Objectives). This method was first introduced by Peter Drucker in 1954. In this method, the superior and subordinate conducts a meeting in which they jointly sets the objectives of the employee for the next appraisal period (Bohlander Snell 1998). The employee performance is evaluated on the basis on these pre-determined objectives. These objectives will be usually amount of sales, quantity of production etc. The organizational objectives are attained in this method with the help of a cyclical process. In this the management initially sets the objectives of organization followed by departmental objectives and finally individual goals. All these goals will be interconnected in such a way that fulfilling one of them will positively affect the other. Caroll and Tosi explained that MBO must fit into the philosophical framework of an organization. This is due to the reason that the management attitude and MBO must go hand in hand. Merely giving support to MBO through words is not sufficient. Lussier in 2008 explained about the possible reasons for the failure of MBO. A major reason behind the failure of MBO method is many companies is absence of commitment and follow-up from the management. Another reason is that management fails to convince employees that they are also an integral part of the decision making process. Employees feel that all major decisions and goal-setting have been done by the management without consulting them. When this happens, the employees will be less committed to work for the management and meet the objectives. The autonomous and dynamic involvement of employees can be considered as the most significant contribution of MBO to the communication mechanism within the company (Roodman Roodman 1973). Singla (2009) has explained the features of MBO method. All the activities included in this method are aimed at achieving the goals. The individual, departmental and organizational objectives are interconnected. Organization is considered as a dynamic entity in this method. MBO compares the resources available with objectives and makes the best match. This method is rather a philosophy or idea than a technique. MBO emphasizes on performance review and appraisal. The employees are given more autonomy in this method. Outcomes are given more weightage than the job. These features make the method of MBO unique from other methods of performance appraisal. Research Question One of the relevant questions that can be put forward in this context would be; what is the impact of performance appraisal system on employee development? Certain other kinds of questions that can be asked as per the topic are the following: Does the appraisal system aid in the performance improvement of the employee through proper training methods? Does the appraisal process bring about a positive relationship between the employees and the superiors? Is the appraisal process (MBO) followed in the company effective in utilizing the employs core competences for the betterment of the organization? Does the appraisal process clearly define the roles of the employees? Research Objectives General objective To investigate the impact of existing performance appraisal system on employee development. Specific objectives To study the effect of performance appraisal system on employee potential with respect to core competency. To evaluate the issues related to the performance appraisal process in the company. Methodology 7.1 Research design design adopted The research design includes the whole process of data analysis and study. This study follows a diagnostic research design where in the researcher identifies a problem related to the topic in the company. After diagnosing the problem the researcher goes on for an evaluation and ultimately finds a solution for the problem. The research design involves data collection through various means, after which the collected data is analyzed. The analysis will lead to giving solutions to the problem. The solutions obtained are recorded in the research as the result of the study. 7.2 Data Collection Methods (a) Sampling methods Sample is taken from the population of employees in LT ECC. The sampling method that can be followed in this research work is simple random sampling. In this kind of probability sampling every person in the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study. The employees who are involved in the performance evaluation process are taken for the study. (b) Size of the sample The sample size chosen for the study will be 100. The data collection is done with the help of these 100 individuals chosen through simple random sampling. (c) Sampling Technique Sampling technique is the means by which the researcher chooses his respondents. Every research or study has a planned sampling process wherein the researcher clearly identifies the sample individuals for his study. The samples chosen depend upon the topic of the study because the respondents play a crucial role in formulating a result for the topic as they are asked to respond to the researchers questions through questionnaires etc. In this research the respondents will include both the managerial level employees and also the non managerial employees, as both the groups are involved in performance appraisal process. Questionnaire Questionnaire is a structured form of data collection used in any research. The researcher includes all the important questions regarding the topic in the questionnaire. The respondents chosen using the sampling method are identified and given the questionnaire for response. The respondents will respond to the questions in the questionnaire which will help the researcher gain an idea about the problems in the company. In this research at LT the researcher will be including questions related to the performance appraisal process and issues in the company, also the questions regarding employee development. The researcher can use this data for the purpose of drawing results for the problems identified. Interview The researcher may at times find it apt to collect data by interviewing the respondent. In such situations interview will be more useful compared to questionnaire. In case of this study the researcher can ask direct questions related to the performance appraisal method followed in the company. Interview method will give more precise answers as the interviewer can ask many questions on performance appraisal and also employee development compared to the questionnaire. The interviewer can ask questions related to the particular core competency of the employee. Interview can also include many suggestion questions as to what changes the employees would like to have in the process followed in the company. Telephonic interview can be done in this research. Data Analysis A research cannot be concluded with the help of a rough data. For a researcher to obtain the right kind of result for his study the researcher needs to formulate a method to analyze the data in the most suitable way. Thus data analysis part of the research is essential in the sense that it converts the raw data into a form that can be well understood. Data analysis in this study is done using SPSS which is a tool for data management. Data analysis refers to that stage in research process in which different statistical techniques are applied. One should have a clear understanding of statistical thinking behind a data analysing technique in order to explain it in detail (Ader, Mellenberg Hand(2008). Resource Requirements The resources for the study need to be obtained from the library and also the internet. The relevant information on the topic can be collected using primary and secondary means. Resources of other forms include printed materials like magazines of the company and also other reports and journals, websites are also an important means or source of data collection. The researcher can obtain primary data by means of structured questionnaires and telephonic interviews. These resources will help the researcher in his research as they provide the base for the researcher to work upon.

Small and Medium Enterprises Essay example -- Business, Environment, P

Introduction Environmental practices among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are increasing being supported as the vital approaches that are needed to shapes and sustains the environment (Schaper 2002; Hillary 2004; Redmond, Walker et al. 2008; Rasi, Abdekhodaee et al. 2010; Revell, Stokes et al. 2010). Many large organizations have taken considerable steps to reduce or eliminate pollution that might occur from their operations. Small and Mediums Enterprises (SMEs), however, continue to be overlooked on it consequences on environmental management issues (Melton 1999). While, some SMEs are generally aware of the substantial impact of their operations on the environment (Williamson and Lynch-Wood 2001), most SME believe environmental initiatives as peripheral issues and may not be important to the organizational survival (Redmond, Walker et al. 2008) Ensuring SMEs to realize and accomplish its environmental objectives are crucial. The notions that SMEs are not yet engaged in the environmental practices are intimidating since the facts that most environmental pollution is originates from SMEs. An earlier study by Smith and Kemp (1998) identifies that 70 percent of manufacturing pollution are created by SMEs. The Marshall Report (1998) estimates that SMEs generates 60 percent of carbon emissions. More recently, a report for The European Commission, Directorate General Environment, indicates that more than 50 percent of commercial and industrial waste are produced by SMEs (Berends, Morà ¨re et al. 2000), whilst the UK Environment Agency estimates that UK SMEs are responsible for 60 percent of commercial waste and 80 percent of pollution accidents (Netreg 2003). Again, work by the Wales Environment Centre in rural Wales, indicat... ...tivities. The strategy requires a structural investment in operations that involves process or product based changes in effort to gain a competitive advantage (Klassen and Whybark 1999). Compared to former strategies, proactive strategies imply creative problem solving and collaborative exchanges with stakeholders (Sharma and Vredenburg 1998). For example, organizations implementing proactive approaches can improve various managerial aspects by continuously monitoring their activities and learning to optimize and utilize their green technological investment (Biondi, Frey et al. 1998). In addition, strategic collaboration with stakeholders enables SMEs to share tacit knowledge that are useful to make a successful transition to new environmental technologies. Table 1 depicts the differences between a reactive approach and a proactive approach as discussed above.

The Iroquois Indian Nation Essay -- History Native American

Nothing is more fundamental yet so important to the freedoms we enjoy as Americans as the United States Constitution, which guarantee our right to do and say as we please so long as it does no harm to anyone. The Iroquois Nation preamble is placed on perfect peace for the welfare of the people. Their focus was fighting for the liberty of the people. Among the Indian nations whose ancient seats were within the limits of our republic, the Iroquois have long continued to occupy the conspicuous position. Nations they now set forth upon the canvas of the Indian history prominent as for the wisdom of their civil institution of the federations. Only the Iroquois had a system that seemed to meet most of the demands espoused by the many parties to the debates the Iroquois certainly have a considered the influence of the drafty of our own constitution, and we present day Americans owe them a debt of gratitude. The Iroquois is a tribe of the Eastern Woodland Indians. The Iroquois is one tribe that is separated into given nations. These nations are called Seneca, Cayuga, Onondags, Onedia, and Mohawk. In the eight-tenth century Tuscarora joined the Iroquois Nation making them the sixth member of the confederation. The name Iroquois has two possible origins. It is believed that it could be derived possibly from the phrase â€Å"hiro kone† which as used by the people of the first Nations known as the Haudenosaunee who are known commonly today as the Iroquois. The phrase was a combination of the words â€Å"hiro† and â€Å"kone†. â€Å"Hiro† meant â€Å"I have spoken† while â€Å"kone† meant either â€Å"in sorrow, in truth, or in joy†. To the French then it is supposed that it sounded like Iroquois instead of â€Å"hiro kone†. Another version goes that it derives fro... ...like any other Indian tribe in the United States of America. The culture and view of the members of this nation within a nation are broad, stemming from large tribal groups. The conditions are highly diverse, ranging from lush green valleys to snowy mountains. The combined effect of all these variables, in both environmental and tribes, contributed to the making of the Iroquois Nation. Works Cited http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1520684/mohawk_indiansironworkersskyscrapers.html?cat=37 (1) http://2010.census.gov/news/ (2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Citizenship_Act_of_1924 (3) http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-1833.ZO.html (4) http://www.iroquois.org/Index.aspx?ID (5) http://info.ihs.gov/Disparities.asp (6) http://www.catskillmtn.org/guide-magazine/articles/2007-08-a-cultured-life.html (7) http://www.iroquoismuseum.org/ (8)

Explain Why Cultural Diversity Is Important In A College Education :: essays research papers

Explain Why Cultural Diversity Is Important In A College Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I come from a small town. Hannibal, MO, the boyhood home of Mark Twain, is described its claim to fame as â€Å"a sleepy town drowsing.† Most surely he has never been more accurate, for this small enchanted river town has never awakened total equality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a town full of ignorance, where nobody has ever thought twice of sharing and spreading their sly comments and idiotic judgements to anyone and everyone who will listen, and most people do. It is a town where fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and grandparents teach their kids to â€Å"ignore those no-good niggers,† stay away from those â€Å"half-breeds† and give hell to anyone â€Å" nigger-lover† who refuses to believe the truth. It sickens me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Last year, we had an issue to address at our school. It later became known as The Cowboys vs. The Blacks, and never has our school been more involved. The newspapers screamed of the hate, violence, and threat of gangs that were corrupting our schools; the halls rang with the lastest gossip on the next big showdown. This problem slapped a school full of apathetic kids into a lively bunch ready to get involved. Involved in what? A controversy that all had opinions on, but how could you not have an opinion? It was the talk at all of the dinner tables, bars, and stores in town. Kids went home scared of the racial tension. Parents whined and cried of violence in the school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The parents whined and cried, and at the same time forgot to remember that it was they, not the kids, who had taught the very prejudices that were â€Å" disrupting the education process.† My opinion is simple and elementary: Children are not born to hate others, they must be taught to judge colors. If we are taught prejudices, then obviously, the racial tensions at my school didn't disrupt education, rather enforced lessons often reviewed over fried chicken and potatoes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I cried once in my sophomore history class. The girl in front of me sang and preached that life was just that way, no one could ever change anything, so why should we even try? Prejudice is taught in the home, and the home is where we learn everything we really need to know. I listened, fumed, and stood up to interrupt her. (I rarely frown, let alone yell, but I had had enough of her pessimism. All eyes and ears were on me, and as my dramatic nature began to influence me, I started to preach.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have a theory.

Jefferson VS. Hamilton DBQ Essay

In the history of America, Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State, and Hamilton, the Secretary of the Treasury, were two of the greatest leaders of our country. Although they both lead the country, that’s where the similarities end as they had opposing views on everything. Jefferson was a republican while Hamilton was a federalist. Jefferson had been opposed to all of Hamilton’s ideas, such as his financial plan, his interpretation of the powers of the government, his foreign policy, and his vision for the future of America. Jefferson was against Hamilton’s views because his financial plan would ultimately destroy democracy in America, his interpretation of the powers of the government could result in the destruction of the institution of slavery, his foreign policy because Hamilton was Pro-British and England’s Monarchy could spread to America, and his vision for the future of America because Hamilton wanted an Oligarchy government while Jefferson wante d a democracy. First, Jefferson was extremely opposed to Hamilton’s financial plan for America. Hamilton’s financial plan was very elaborate, ultimately leading to the preservation of America’s independence. His plan starts with the goal of gaining power through wealth. To gain wealth, Hamilton stated that industry must be created. He creates a national bank by loosely interpreting the â€Å"necessary and proper† (Doc 1) clause. Hamilton justifies his bank by saying, â€Å"Necessary often means nothing more than needful†¦useful† (Doc 2). He believed that the creation of a National Bank fell under this clause as he found it convenient to help with his plan. By creating the National Bank, he was making the rich richer, and causing them to either invest their money, spend it on products, store it in the bank, or use it to buy bonds. This in turn would give the government more wealth, and ultimately more power. It seemed like a decent idea, but Jefferson saw the flaws that came  with it. He stated that Hamilton’s plan would destroy democracy in America. In Jefferson’s notes on the state of Virginia, he said, â€Å"Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people†¦corruption of morals in the mass of cultivators†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc. 4). When he says this, he is saying that through the creation of industry, workers who work under others will lose their political independence. He saw this as a threat to democracy because workers would be easily manipulated to vote for someone that their employer wanted them to vote for, therefore leading to corruption in the government. And there was no workaround for this as voting was public, so anyone could watch the workers cast their vote. This would eventually lead to an Oligarchy as the rich would have all the power since they were of higher positions, and would control those of lower positions, which would be the workers. That is why Jefferson opposed Hamilton’s financial plan as this would end in the creation of a country who is led by few peop le with all the power. In addition, Jefferson was opposed to Hamilton’s interpretation of the government’s powers. Hamilton interpreted the â€Å"Necessary and Proper† clause loosely, stating that â€Å"Necessary often means nothing more than needful† (Doc. 2). By interpreting the clause this way, he opened himself to an almost unlimited amount of power. He used it to create a National Bank by claiming that it was related to regulating commerce and collecting taxes. Jefferson had been opposed to Hamilton’s interpretation for many reasons. The first one is that he interpreted the Constitution very strictly. He argued that, â€Å"Supporters of the bank bill argue that a bank would be of great convenience in collecting taxes. Even is this argument were true, the constitution allows for only those laws which are â€Å"necessary†, not for those which are merely convenient for carrying out delegated powers† (Doc. 3). He argued that the constitution was only referr ing to laws that were absolutely necessary, a last resort with no other possible options. Jefferson backs up his interpretation by also stating, â€Å" †¦ that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the people or the states†¦The incorporation of a bank and the powers assumed by this bill have not in my opinion, been delegated by the United States by the Constitution† (Doc. 8). The second reason he interpreted the constitution this way was because if the Constitution were to be interpreted loosely, it would pose a threat towards Slavery. Jefferson had supported slavery, and did not want the government to be able to gain more power through the clause, and in the long run, eventually ending slavery in America. The final reason Jefferson opposed Hamilton’s interpretation was because Hamilton was using his loose interpretation to his advantage, creating a bank to further push his financial plan into motion, which was the exact opposite of what Jefferson wanted as it went against all of his beliefs. Jefferson was trying to stop Hamilton’s plan, and one way was to stop the abuse of the â€Å"Necessary and Proper† clause. Furthermore, Jefferson was against Hamilton’s foreign policy. Hamilton was considered to be Pro-British while Jefferson was Pro-France. During this time, France and Britain were at war fighting against each other. Hamilton supported the British and wanted them to win against the French because he believed in the British’s form of government, a monarchy. A monarchy was a government with one person that holds the sole power of the country. Hamilton’s expectations was that if the British were to win the war, the monarchy form of government would spread all across Europe, and ultimately be adopted in America as an oligarchy form of government, a country ruled by a few. He believed in this type of government because he saw that Britain was flourishing and he thought that if America adopted the same type of government, then the country would succeed as well. Hamilton shared his view on popular rule by stating, â€Å"The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom j udge or determine right. Give to the first class a distinct, permanent share in the government† (Doc. 6). Hamilton objected to power among the people because he believed that the people are always changing and have ambition. This creates a state of mind that a common person can never settle on one decision and is always going to change their beliefs. Hamilton also states his disagreement with Jefferson by saying, â€Å"In respect to our foreign  politic, the views of the gentlemen and his supports are unsound and dangerous. They have a womanish attachment to France, and a womanish resentment against Great Britain† (Doc. 9). Hamilton shows his hate on Jefferson’s views and comments that they are unsound and dangerous. Jefferson on the other hand believed that the government should be a democracy with power shared among all the people. Jefferson supported the French because of multiple reasons. First, he wanted to honor the treaty between America and France, and help them in the war against the British. Second, he did not want monarchy to spread across Europe as this would diminish his chances of creating a democracy form of government in America. Jefferson expresses his distrust for the government and the elite by saying, â€Å"I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive. It places the governors indeed more at ease, at the expense of the people† (Doc. 7). Jefferson believed that the elite would take away the rights of the common people. He trusted that Gentlemen who were small farmers, would rule better as they would be educated, disinterested, independent, and would own land. This was the criteria that Jefferson believed would fit a person to rule the country, and why he disagreed with Hamilton’s foreign policy. Finally, Hamilton and Jefferson have very different views on the future of America. Hamilton believed that the future of America should yield a Oligarchy government, with the power belonging to the elite. He wanted Britain to ultimately win the war and for America to adopt an Oligarchy government and prosper just like Britain, since he did not trust the power to be in the common peoples’ hands. Additionally, Hamilton sought out to have industry with manufacturing and agriculture. He believed that a strong manufacturing economy was of great importance to America’s future. Hamilton wrote a report on Manufacturing in which he stated, â€Å"The trade of a country which is both manufacturing and agriculture will be more lucrative and prosperous than that of a country which is merely agricultural. The importations of manufactures supplied seem to invariably drain the merely agricultural people of their wealth† (Doc. 5). Hamilton believed that for America to flourish with its economy and eventually pay off its debts, America needed to have industry to start manufacturing its own products and  be able to export products and agriculture, not just agriculture. He also thought that in the long run, the agricultural people would be drained of their wealth as manufacturing would take over the economy of America. Jefferson disagreed greatly with Hamilton’s vision for America. Jefferson wanted to have a democracy in America in the future, with power in the hands of small farmers who were Gentlemen. This was a Virtuous Republic. He distrusted the elite to run the government and trusted people who were like him to have the power. Additionally, he did not want industry to become present in America as that would destroy democracy, so he wanted more agriculture to be among the farmers. To sum up, Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on a great deal of matters. In the end, it was both Hamilton and Jefferson who won in achieving what they wanted. Nowadays we have a democracy government, but we also have industry and we manufacture goods. We export and import goods to keep our economy in balance. The people have the power now, but it is not just small farmers and gentlemen, but rather equality among all others.

MBA Industry and Porter’s Five Forces Essay

MBA Industry: The MBA school industry includes universities and colleges that offer academic courses and grant graduate degrees. The general requirement for admission is a bachelor’s degree and GMAT ® scores. Some schools and programs also require prior employment experience. Instruction is typically provided on physical campuses, although online education and other unconventional approaches are gaining popularity. For purposes of this paper, for-profit institutions or community colleges are not included in the industry definition. The major forces that affect MBA market are: competition between public and private business schools, buyers of business education including both students and employers, faculty as the key suppliers to the industry, and substitutes in the forms of alternative means of delivering graduate business education. Porter suggests that evaluation of these forces will provide insights into the prospects for long-range profitability1. Competition: The MBA m arket in the United States is an unregulated industry that allows schools to develop their own distinctive styles and personalities, and to define their own missions5. B-Schools consider it their mission to educate and research, but face intense pressure of managing faculty issues, finding new funding sources and distinguishing themselves from competitors9, highlighting the most prominent areas within this category: cost, revenues, and reputation. Reputation is differentiated by rankings and accreditations, specializations and regional focus and flexibility10. Rankings drive how students, faculty, and employers perceive the MBA program. In turn, how students, faculty, and employers perceive the MBA program drives rankings, resulting in developing a brand name for universities, leading schools to expend vast resources in pursuit of being highly ranked or even ranked at all8. The significant costs associated with business education have left room for competitive entry by low cost providers. B-Schools now face the reality that they must compete with the low-cost providers who can turn a profit because they are not burdened with the high fixed costs of the â€Å"bricks and mortar† university4. As tuition alone will not cover the costs of running an MBA program, funding is usually sourced from donations from alumni. Most successful schools are usually ones backed by alumni that are willing and able to give back to their alma  maters. Suppliers: The most important suppliers to the MBA industry are the business school faculty who fill the teaching, research, and administrative roles with any MBA program. There is an increasing demand for qualified business faculty, while simultaneously there is a stagnating or decreasing supply of such faculty. As the pool of high quality, freshly minted Ph.D.’s is diminishing; competition for associate and assistant professors is increasing. Institutions that can afford to bid are becoming more aggressive in recruiting faculty from other schools, inflating salaries beyond what some can afford10. Rising salaries for new hires has encouraged experienced faculty to move to different institutions to receive pay raises of their own, and thus the market continues to stay extremely competitive. Buyers: The buyers of graduate management education are either the students, employers, or both. With respect to the power of student as buyers, both the MBA programs and the students possess some leverage. There is obviously significant demand for the MBA degree from students because they believe that it will enable them to receive greater opportunities in their career, receive a higher salary, or launch them into a new career7. Employer preferences have a significant effect on market for MBAs. The employer’s demand for MBAs dictates the job availability and salary range, which is proportional to demand for MBAs. Employers are always seeking the best value to raise their company’s performance by enhancing employees’ abilities. What employers define as â€Å"benefit,† however, can range from training, which raises employee efficiency to higher-level education, which emphasizes critical thinking and complex problem solving skills. Substitutes: Most participants do not enter to challenge industry leaders but to offer tailored programs that appeal to sub -sets of their prospective students. Top-ranked business schools have little need to worry about substitutes. Consumer demand for the â€Å"Top brand MBA† will always outpace the supply. The same threat to mid and lower tier schools, however, is real. The online and distance learning schools target the same students that would otherwise attend these schools forcing the lower tiered schools to diversify their offerings6. Barriers to Entry: The main barriers to entry for new entrants in MBA industry are infrastructure costs, attracting and retaining good faculty, and gaining accreditation for courses. Schools must have a solid reputation to charge more tuition to attract students and afford good professors that produce strong results among students. Furthermore, it can cost a significant amount of capital to perform research projects, which enable a school to build specialized facilities and can also contribute to a strong reputation. While public schools rely on public funds for financial aid, a large endowment is essential for many institutions.

Cooper Pharmaceuticals Case Analysis Essay

On the surface, the issue of Bob Marsh’s firing from Cooper Pharmaceuticals appears to be an open and shut case; he did not adhere to the repeated warnings by management to alter his performance and selling style, therefore he was fired. However, other considerations are in play when you analyze this case further. Bob was an employee of Cooper for twelve years at the time of his termination, and had seemingly improved his performance when prompted to do so. Bob was also exceptionally well received by physicians, office receptionists, and hospital personnel, which is a vital attribute when being a â€Å"detailer.† His persistent downside, though, was his lack of organization, planning, and follow-up, and a tendency to question some of the company’s major promotion programs. The central question to this case is, â€Å"how could this happen to someone like Bob Marsh in a company like Copper?† In my opinion, while Cooper Pharmaceuticals was not entirely withou t fault, Bob’s termination was primarily the result of his own actions, or lack thereof. Cooper Pharmaceuticals was a major manufacturer of prescription drugs for the medical and dental professions and had a reputation throughout the industry for having â€Å"excellent† management practices. The company fielded a sales force of over 500 detailers whose job was to persuade medical personnel to use and prescribe Cooper Pharmaceuticals’ drugs. Initially, Bob fit the mold of what was desired by Cooper in prospective employees. He was rated highly in his sincerity, aggressiveness, attitude, enthusiasm, learning ability, judgment, character, affability, and appearance; Bob seemed like the perfect fit. He was hired about a month after his initial interview and, much to his delight, was assigned to a territory in his hometown, Toledo. From there, Bob was seemingly ready to start his training and begin a long and prosperous career with Cooper. An effective sales training program is vital to the success of a company’s sales force. A training program should have a finite set of objectives: increased sales productivity, lower turnover, higher morale and sense of purpose, improved communication, improved customer relations, and improved self-management. It is also impor tant that companies provide a method for systematically reinforcing their training programs. Otherwise, salespeople are unlikely to change their behavior. The training at Cooper Pharmaceuticals, in principle, should have worked quite well. Employees,  including Bob, showed signs of increased sales performance on a year-to-year basis, and in 1989 sales exceed $1 billion. Turnover was low for their industry, around 8%. Also, 60% of detailers had ten or more years with the company, and 25% had fewer than five years. Each employee received a company car, generous benefits, and reimbursement for normal business expenses. Bob, while maintaining the same position as detailer, went from a starting salary of $35,000 in year one to a salary over $60,000 in his twelfth year. Bob received a month’s training in product characteristics and selling, or detailing, skills at Cooper’s headquarters. Aside from this training, both new and experienced detailers received regular training from the 35 district managers. This reinforcement was done so to ensure that all detailers mai ntained the level of expertise and professionalism requisite of a Cooper Pharmaceuticals detailer. From these facts, it becomes more apparent that the necessary skills to be successful were properly trained, informed, and reinforced in Bob by Cooper. Even from his initial interview with Cooper, there was one glaring fault Bob possessed: his seeming indifference to organization. His first district manager, John Meredith, felt that Bob gave little advanced thought to the physicians he hoped to see. Then, upon seeing the physicians, he had no definite plan or approach once in the physician’s office. From the beginning of this class, we learned that pre-approach is vital to the selling process. In this stage, information is gathered about the prospect to decipher the specific needs they have. As noted in the beginning of the case, Bob had many references from physicians and medical personnel. I believe that these relationships caused Bob to become lazy in his pre-approach and approach, and ultimately served as a crutch on which he began to rely. In addition to his lack of organization, Bob displayed more interest in developing his own promotional programs than in following the plans outlined at district meetings, and he would also second-guess promotions by deciding, on his own, which products to promote. This should have been a huge red flag for John Meredith. What would happen if a baseball player blatantly disregarded a sign and decided to swing when his coach told him not to swing? That player would find himself on the bench. If that player continually disobeyed his coach’s instructions he would find himself looking for a new team. In this instance, though, Bob was not benched. He was instead given a list of suggestions on how he could improve in certain  areas, including: * Should overcome the tendency to prejudge customers and promotion programs * Should be more responsive to management directives * Should give more attention to planning and organization As becomes evident as Bob’s tenure at Cooper Pharmaceuticals continued, he failed to adopt this initial list of suggestions, yet his employment perpetuated. After John Meredith, there was Bill Couch, then Jim Rathburn, followed by Vince Reed, Antonia Wilkens, and ultimately Ted Franklin. Six supervisors in a twelve year span is a high number. Then, when you consider the fact that many of them were young, motivated, and driven, it becomes clearer why Bob was able to keep his job. His sales numbers were constantly at quota, and there were no issues in terms of customer relations. By the time his deficiencies were noted, a new district manager was in already in place. It seems that Bob was aware of this trend and used it to his advantage. So long as he hit his sales quotas and kept customers happy, all would be well. The case states that every Cooper Pharmaceutical detailer was evaluated in terms of both sales volume and improvement in his or her relationships with customers. From this statement one could conclude that Bob should have retained his job. His sales volumes were constant yearly, sometimes increasing. He also, evident from the multiple inquiries from current customers upon his termination, maintained wonderful working relationships with his customers. The evaluation process at Cooper Pharmaceuticals is what perpetuated Bob’s employment with the company. While looking at just the sales numbers, Bob appeared to be a great employee. However, there are other factors to consider when evaluating employees. Most managers or supervisors would likely agree that they wished their employees follow their instructions when prompted to do so. To ensure that a case similar to Bob’s does not become the norm at Cooper Pharmaceuticals there are three steps that management should take. One, they should maintain a better record keeping process of employment evaluations. It is possible that because this example occurred during the 1980s, record keepi ng was maintained on paper rather than computers. However, that does not excuse an employee who repeatedly makes the same mistakes to be retained. Two, there should be a  more streamlined transition process for an outgoing district manager to pass on files/documentation to the new district manager. For example, Bob was placed on probation by Vince Reed that required him to improve performance to an acceptable level within 90 days. However, upon Vince Reed’s subsequent transfer, no one followed up on Bob’s performance. Bob’s probationary status had â€Å"evaporated.† Three, they should enact a three-strike policy. One could receive a strike for failing to reach sales quotas, not following management’s instructions, or falling customer relations. An employee would be fired following strike three. Doing this step would make the threat of termination a tangible thought, employees would be fully aware that constant missteps and mess-ups will not be tolerated. The thought of Bob Marsh being reinstated or there being any legal ramifications for Cooper Pharmaceuticals is laughable. Bob was given the chance to improve his faults on multiple occasions, yet he failed to do so for any extended period of time. He took advantage of the fact that each new district manager gave him the chance to improve. Then, his performance would slip little by little, but by this time a new district manager would be in place and the process would repeat itself. Not until Ted Franklin took over did the process change course. Ted looked over all of Bob’s previous deficiencies and realized that his record was not good and Bob would have to follow an outline given to him and complete weekly reading assignments. Not only did Bob fail to follow this agreement, he accepted his subsequent termination with little resistance or comment. The fact that Bob would call Cooper Pharmaceuticals and say he was treated unfairly is preposterous. He should be thankful for his twelve years of employment at the company and that none of his previous district managers were as competent or paid as close attention to detail as Ted Franklin. Yes, Bob appears to have maintained great relationships with his customers, and as we learned in class 80% of sales tends to come from 20% of the customers. So it is, realistically, a possibility that some business would be lost from the decision to terminate Bob. However, a company with the reputation of Cooper Pharmaceuticals should not keep an employee simply because a few clients from one sales region want him to be retained. Certain offers, such as incentives or promotions could be provided to these customers in attempt to ensure their repeated business and prove that not just Bob can provide great service and keep them happy customers. In addition, Cooper  Pharmaceuticals should, while not being defamatory or slanderous, fully outline the faults Bob possessed as an employee and effectively relay these as the reasons of his termination to Bob’s accounts. So, to answer this case’s central question, this termination happened to Bob Marsh because of Bob Marsh.